Hex Kickstarter is LIVE!

We just wanted to mention that the kickstarter for Hex, our member Mark Haygood’s inexpensive humanoid robot platform is live. Show your support! Link is here

Mark Haygood’s robot HEX made CNN

We are so proud of his accomplishment. If you haven’t read the article, click here. This is just the beginning of the press he has gotten lately. Way to go Mark! After so many years finally getting the press you deserve!

Multirotor Acronyms, Terms, and More…

I’m learning about Quadrotors, Tricopters, Hexacopters, and other multirotors and I have noticed that there are a bunch of acronyms, terms, and definitions that I don’t know. This is typical when learning any new hobby. So this post is simply a list of those acronyms and terms along with a few photos and definitions. I will add more as I come across them. Feel free to leave anything I missed in the comments section and I will add it to the list. Click on More to view the entire list.

Acryonyms

ARTF – Almost Ready to Fly
BEC – Battery Elimination Circuit
BNF – Bind-N- Fly
ESC - Electric Speed Control
GPS – Global Posistioning System
FC – Flight Control Board
FFF – Fast Forward Flight
PNP – Plug and Play
RTF – Ready To Fly
RTH – Return To Home
RX – Receiver
TX – Transmitter

Baltimore Drones Kickoff Success

Baltimore Hackerspace hosted the first meetup of the new Baltimore Drones Meetup group. The event was a huge success. There were about 10 drones on display and everyone had stories to tell and knowledge to share. One of the hot topics discussed was the perception of the word Drones. Baltimore Hackerspace can relate to this problem. The word “Hacker” has been tainted for decades and our decision to call ourselves a Hackerspace vs a Makerspace was a big one. What is the definition of a Hacker anyways? Everyone has their own opinions of the word.

Baltimore Drones is in the same boat. What is a Drone? Should we call our toys Drones, UAVs, or Multirotors? This was a hot topic and we all seemed to agree on most things. There are so many positive things Drones can be used for. Most of which can create new jobs which are disparately needed these days.

Thank you to all who participated. We look forward to hosting future meetups for Baltimore Drones.

Meet HEX

Mark who is a member of Baltimore Hackerspace has been working on this full sized biped robot made of mostly spare parts for over 2 years. These are the first movements after adding the Axon II controller and getting all the servos wired up. The goal is to start teaching it to walk over the next couple months.